Method of applying paint to a roadway surface and apparatus therefor



Se t. 17, 1963 E. R. DYE 3,103,859

METHOD OF APPLYING PAINT TO A ROADWAY 7 SURFACE AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed April 4, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1Z 4 BY g M! w ATTOZFMYE Sept. 17, 1963 E. R. DYE 3,103,859

METHOD OF APPLYING PAINT TO A ROADWAY SURFACE AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed April 4, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States PatentO ration of New York Filed Apr. 4, 1957, Ser. No. 650,743 4 Claims. (Cl. 94-22) This invention pertains to vehicular traffic safety and has for its primary purpose to improve the night illumination of dark pavement.

The surface of a roadway, a bituminous pavement for example, is not absolutely smooth but rather is irregular, having rises and depressions. In accordance with the present invention, this surface irregularity is taken advantage of by applying paint to only one side of the rises and on the corresponding sides thereof so that incident light from the head lamps of vehiclestraveling the roadway is effectively reflected.

If a traiiic lane on a roadway is illuminated or lightened by applying thereto a light reflective coating, in accordance with the present invention, across the entire width of the lane, definition of the lane is increased so that a driver has the contour of the traffic lane intended for him to travel conspicuously displayed before his vehicle as the headlights fall upon successive portions of the pavement so treated. If desired, difierent colored light reflective paints can be applied to different traffic lanes so that traflic can be led or directed according to a predetermined color code.

Another advantage of illuminating a traflic lane is that dark objects on the lane, such as pedestrians, cyclists, animals, etc., will be silhouetted against the lighter roadway surface and thus be rendered easier to see or define.

More, traflic information can be indicated on the roadway surface by leaving portions thereof unpainted. Thus, speed limits, pedestrian or railroad crossing signs, and other warning signals or the like, can be made to appear when head lights are directed against the painted and unpainted portions of the pavement. This can be accomplished by masking the portions of the pavement desired to be left unpainted.

As mentioned above, only the sides of the rises in the surface of a particular traflic lane and facing vehicles moving in the direction intended for that lane are painted so that the drivers of vehicles moving in the opposite direction will not detect such lane. For example, if two trafiic lanes intended for vehicles moving in opposite directions are contiguous, one lane is painted unidirectionally and the other lane also unidirectionally but from the opposite direction. Hence the driver of a vehicle moving in one direction will see the lane which he is supposed to travel more conspicuously than the other lane and will know the proper lane in which to drive his vehicle. Yet a driver of a vehicle moving in the opposite direction will perceive more clearly the other lane which is the one he should follow. This improved illumination of the proper traffic lane to travel over a dark pavement will help to reduce accidents at night otherwise occasioned by lack of adequate visibility of the appropriate course of travel.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for directionally applying paint to a roadway surface so as to increase night illumination of the surface.

Another object is to provide such a method and apparatus which utilizes paint efficiently and does not waste it.

Another object is to provide a roadway directional paint applier which can be operatively moved at reasonably high velocity over the roadway.

3,163,859 Patented Sept. 17, 1963 Another object is to provide such a device which will apply paint directionally to the roadway surface across the full width of a traflic lane so that the lane can be painted in one pass.

A further object is to provide such a paint applier Which can be operatively used under windy conditions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a typical roadway surface having two contiguous lanes for trafiic moving in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows which also represent the respective directions the paint applier constructed in accordance with the present in vention is moved to apply paint properly and unidirectionally to the surface of each lane.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary diagrammatic vertical sectional view illustrating in exaggerated manner the rises and depressions of the irregularity in the roadway surface of the upper trahic lane shown in FIG. 1 and showing the paint deposited on the corresponding sides of such rises and applied by said paint applier.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the preferred form of roadway directional paint applier constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the same in operative position and connected to a towing vehicle and hooked up to a paint supply carried by the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the paint applier itself.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view thereof taken generally on line 5-5, FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken on line 66, FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of' the blower drive mechanism shown in the lower part of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view thereof, taken on line 8-8, FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the paint applier only and showing the same inverted to an inoperative traveling position.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional6 view through the paint spray nozzle shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary side elevational view similar to FIG. 3, but showing a modified form of apparatus for charging the casing of the paint applier with an inert gas supplied from the exhaust tail pipe of the towing vehicle.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 11, but showing another modified form of apparatus for charging the casing with an inert gas supplied from a bottle carried by the towing vehicle.

Referring to FIG. =1 the roadway surface is shown as having two contiguous lanes 15 and 16 for traffic moving in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows '17 and 18 respectively. The roadway surface may also have an interrupted painted stripe I? for separating the two lanes 15 and 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the roadway surface is irregular as provided by nonuniform rises 20 and depressions 21. In accordance with the present invention, only the sides of the rises 20 facing approaching traflic are partially or completely covered with paint represented at 22. The paint is applied unidirectionally generally in the direction and at the flat angle represented by the series of arrows 23. This angle must fall within the critical range of from about 5 to about 35 degrees relatives to the roadway surface, the ran-ge of from 5 to 20* degrees being preferred.

The method and apparatus for so applying the paint in the direction represented by the arrows 23 forms the subject matter of the present invention. It is an important feature of the invention to enshroud the paint during application to the roadway surface, whether by spray or otherwise, with a controlled atmosphere which minimizes or retards the drying of the paint. Where the paint is applied by spraying, which is preferred, it is important that the paint be sprayed in the form of a fine mist in which the paint particles are suspended in a substantially non-drying gaseous atmosphere. The paint particle size is in the order of 5 microns. With such small size it is particularly important to reduce the drying of the paint particles before they strike the roadway surface so that they will effectively attach and splatter themselves upon impingement with the surface. Small particles having a large exposed surface area compared to their diameter are prone to dry out or oxidize faster by forming a skin than larger droplets, particularly where a quick drying paint is used, which is preferred in the practice of the present invention.

While the apparatus, sometimes herein called a roadway directional paint appiier, for carrying out the method maybe variously constructed in accordance with the present invention, that illustrated in the drawings is the preferred form. Although the paint applier may be a selfpropelled unit carrying its own paint supply, the same is shown as being a wheeled rig indicated generally at 24 and adapted to be towed behind a vehicle 25 which is illustrated fragmentarily as a truck carrying an air compressor 26 which supplies compressed air through the outlet line 28. A branch line 29 connects the outlet line to a tank or reservoir 30 containing paint and shown as carried on the truck. The branch line 29 connects with this tank above the level of paint maintained therein. The paint is adapted to be discharged from the tank 30 under pressure through the paint outlet line 31 shown as having a shut off valve 27 therein. Both outlet lines 23 and 31 terminate is disconnectable couplings indicated at 32 and 33 respectively.

The roadway directional paint applier, indicated generally at 24, is shown as having a frame including an axle 34 witha road engaging wheel 35 at one end and a similar wheel 36 at the opposite end. A draw bar member 38 arranged longitudinally and centrally between the wheels 35' and 36 is shown as connected at its rear end to the axle 34 in any suitable manner and at its opposite and front end provided with a hitch 39 by which the draw bar may be connected to the towing vehicle 25. A pair of braces 40, one on each side of the central frame member 33, extends between this member and the axleadjacent the wheel at the corresponding end of the axle.

The frame so provided is shown as carrying in any suitable manner a depending casing or shroud indicated generally at 41. Referring to FIG. 6, such casing isshown as having a curved front wall portion 42, an upwardly and rear-wardly inclined fiat top wall portion 43, a downwardly and rearwardly curved upper rear wall portion 44, and a downwardly and forwardly curved lower rear wall portion 45. At each lateral end, the casing is closed by an end wall 46. It will therefore be seen that an elongated casing closed on all sides except for having an open bottom, is provided which extends transversely of the line of travel of the paint applier. The casing 41 is connected to the frame in any suitable manner and the frame is so formed as to accommodate the shape of the casing.

In accordance with this invention, means are provided for discharging a blast of gas bearing paint particles downwardly and forwardly against the roadway surface at a flat angle. For this purpose, a series of blowers, each represented by the numeral 43, are arranged within the casing 41 in the upper and rear part thereof. The blowers 48 are shown as being transversely spaced one from the other. Each blower is shown as including a scroll shaped housing 49 within which an impeller 50 of any suitable form is rotatably mounted. The housing 49 is shown as having on each side an inlet or eye 51 through which gas can be drawn by the impeller 50. Gas is discharged from each blower through its outlet '52 which faces generally downwardly. The various impellers are shown as being mounted on a common shaft 53 which extends horizontally and parallel to the axle 34. Each end of the impeller shaft 53 is suitably journalled on the corresponding end wall 46 of the casing.

Means are provided for rotating the impeller shaft 53, and preferably by a power take-olf from the wheels 35 and 36 which engage the roadway surface. Referring to FIG. 5, such drive means are shown as including a drive gear 54 fast to one end of the axle 34. The gear 54 meshes and drives a driven gear pinion 55. An overriding or one way clutch is shown as being operatively interposed between the driven gear pinion 55 and one end of the impeller shaft 53.

Referring to FIG. 7, the gear pinion 55 is shown as having a central and laterally outwardly extending tubular collar 56. This collar 56 surrounds a sleeve 57. Means, such as the set screw 58, are provided for securing the sleeve 57 to the collar 56 so as to compel both members to turn together and with the gear pinion 55. The sleeve 57 constitutes one and the outer member of the overriding or one way clutch, the other and inner member of which is indicated at 59 which is fast in any suitable manner to one end of the impeller shaft 53. The periphery of the inner clutch member 59 is shown as having a series of recessedcam surfaces 60 arranged at circumferentially spaced intervals so as to house a ball or roller 61 in the space between the cam surface 60 and the opposing portion of the outer clutch sleeve member 57. Each cam surface 60 has a progressively increasing radius in a circumferential direction so that one end of the space referred to is shallower than at the opposite end. A spring 62 is shown as interposed between the deeper end of the space and the ball or roller 61. It will be seen that when the gear pinion 55 rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 8 and as represented by the arrow 63, the outer clutch member or sleeve 57 will be compelled to rotate in the same direction and through frictional engagement with the ball or rollers 61 will tend to move these elements toward the shallower ends of the spaces referred to and thereby provide a driving frictional engagement between the inner clutch member 59 and the surrounding sleeve 57. In this manner the inner clutch member 59 which is fast to the impeller shaft 53 is compelled to rotate in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 8. It will be understood that any other suitable type of overriding or one way clutch may be employed. That illustrated and described is representative.

Referring to FIG. 6, it will be seen that if the impeller 50 there shown, which is representative of each of the impellers of the various blowers 48, rotates in a clockwise direction, gas will be drawn in through the inlets or eyes 51 and caused to flow in a clockwise direction and be discharged through the respective outlets 52 in the direction of the representative flow arrows 64 shown in this figure.

The gas discharged through the outlets 52 is partially directed to How downwardly and forwardly into impingement with the roadway surface by a downwardly and forwardly curved baffle '65 which terminates in the plane of the open bottom of the casing 41.

The interior of the casing 41 is separated into two chambers 68 and 69 by a partition wall having a front portion 70 and a rear portion 71. This rear portion is shown as being a transversely extending and downwardly and forwardly inclining flat plate arranged under the blowers 48 and having openings therein communicating with the outlets 52 of the various blowers. The rear end of this plate 71 is suitably mounted on the rear wall 'of the casing. At the front end, this plate 71 is shown as being supported on a horizontal and transversely extending tubular frame member 72. The front portion 70 of the partition wall is shown as suitably mounted at its rear end to this transverse frame member 72. At its front end the front portion 70 is shown as being suitably mounted on another transversely extending tubular frame member 73. A

similar transverse tubular frame member 74 is shown as arranged at the lower end of the casing 41 on the outside of the rear wall portion 45 thereof. All of the tubular members 72, 73 and 74 are mounted in any suitable manner at their opposite ends on the end walls 46 of the casing. An auxiliary frame member 77 is shown as interposed between the axle 34 and the lower rear tubular frame member 74.

It will be noted that the open bottom of the casing 41 is slightly above the surface of the roadway indicated at R in FIG. 6. It will also be noted that the front transverse tubular frame member 73 is arranged also slightly above the roadway surfaceR so that a throat section of restricted cross section and indicated at 75 is formed between the lower front transverse edge of the wall partition portion 70 and roadway surface R. Flexible aprons or skirts, such as made of sheet rubber or the like, are provided on all sides of the casing 41 adjacent the open bottom thereof. A front flap 76, a rear flap 78 and similar side flaps 79 (see FIG. 9) engage the roadway surface R and provide a moving seal between the casing 41 and the roadway surface.

It will be noted that the partition wall provided by the front portion 70 and interrupted rear portion 71, jointly with the bafile 65, provide a duct for directing the gas blast discharged by the blowers 48 downwardly and forwardly against the roadway surface at a flat angle, to the horizontal as indicated by the arrows 88.

Means are provided for supplying paint particles to the gas blast discharged through the outlets 52 of the various blowers 48. As shown, such means include paint spray nozzles 81, one or more for each blower and having a spray pattern such that adjacent spray patterns complement one another and collectively cover the full width of the traflic lane. Any suitable conventional high pressure spray nozzle can be employed. As shown in FIG. one of the spray nozzles 81 is more or less diagrammatically represented as comprising a tube 82 having a venturi type restriction at its discharge end and through which compressed air is fed, and a parallel tube 83 closed at its down stream end and through which paint under pressure is caused to flow. A small opening 84 is shown as extending through the common wall between the tubes 82 and 83 and leading to the throat of the venturi. It will be seen that as air is forced to flow through the venturi paint discharged through the opening 84 will be picked up and will be atomized or broken up into fine particles which are discharged as a spray through the open end of the tube 82, preferably in the direction shown by the arrows 98 in FIG. 6. The opposite end of this tube 82 is shown as connected to a horizontal transverse manifold pipe 85, in turn connected through a line 86 which leads to and is connected through the coupling 32 to the outlet line 28 from the compressor 26. The end of the tube 83 supplying paint to the opening 84 is shown as being connected to a horizontal transverse manifold pipe 88. This pipe in turn is connected by a line 89 leading to and connected through the coupling 33 with the paint supply outlet line 31.

In a. normal type of atomizer where liquid particles are discharged or sprayed into the atmosphere, the velocity of the particles rapidly decreases as the particles move away from the discharge point of the nozzle. An important feature of the present invention is to surround the paint particles discharged by the spray nozzles by an environment of gas moving at a velocity comparable to that of the particles themselves as they are discharged from the spray nozzles. This has the effect of sustaining the discharge velocity of the paint particles so that the particles will be carried to the roadway surface and will forcibly strike the same. The effect is to splatter the paint on the rises as shown at 22 in FIG. 2.

It will be seen that the chamber 69 through which the gas blast is discharged is in the nature of a venturi passage having the restricted throat section 75. Such configura- 6 tion of passage insures maintaining the velocity of the paint particles and also by reason of the downwardly and forwardly inclining configuration of the partition wall, principally the portion 70 thereof, the paint particles are compelled to move closely toward the roadway sunflace.

Another important feature of the present invention is the provision of means for recirculating gas bearing undeposited paint particles. This is accomplished by the chamber 68 communicating with the inlets 51 of the various blowers and also communicating with the restricted throat section 75.

It will also be noted that the gas flowing through the blower is moving in a substantially tight closed circuit so that the paint particles issuing from the spray nozzle will be discharged into an atmosphere that soon becomes saturated with the vapor of the paint liquid so as to minimize the drying effect on the paint such as would obtain if the paint particles were discharged into fresh air.

It will also be noted that the casing 41 is sealed substantially to the roadway surface through the depending road engaging seal flaps 76, 78 and 79.

In order to maintain the paint applier at a substantially uniform elevation above the roadway, the wheeled frame is preferably provided with a front wheel 91 which is shown as being a caster wheel supported below the front portion of the central longitudinal draw bar member 38.

Assuming that the roadway directional applier 24 is attached to the vehicle 25 and further that the air compressor 26 is being driven in any suitable manner such as by a gasoline engine (not shown), and with the paint supply valve 27 open, it will be seen that paint will be supplied in the form of a spray composed of discrete paint particles discharged into a downwardly and forwardly moving blast of gas of comparable velocity, as the paint applier is towed along the roadway. It will also be noted that the paint applier has a transverse extent sufficient to cover one full trafiic lane of normal width so that only one pass need be made with the paint applier in order to paint the full width of the traffic lane. It is also to be observed that the paint applier can be drawn over the roadway surface at a reasonably high velocity.

In order to paint the lane 15 shown in FIG. 1, the paint applier 24 moves over this lane in the direction of the arrow 17 so that the rises 20 have the paint applied to the corresponding sides as represented at 22 in FIG. 2. When painting the other lane 16 shown in FIG. 1, the paint applier is moved over this lane in the direction of the arrow 18.

If the paint applier is desired to be transported from one location to another without applying paint, the applier can be inverted to the traveling position shown in FIG. 9. For this purpose the frame of the applier is provided with a second front wheel 92, preferably of the caster type, and mounted on the draw bar member 38 on the side thereof opposite from the other front wheel 91. In order to place the paint applier in the inverted position shown in FIG. 9, the paint supply and the compressed air supply lines 89 and 36 respectively are separated from the corresponding outlet lines 31 and 28 by disconnecting at the couplings 33 and 32 respectively. It'will also be noted that when the paint applier is in this inverted position the wheels 35 and 36 are moving backward or in the reverse direction as compared to that previously described when the paint applier was being moved in its operative position so that the overriding or one way clutch interposed between the impeller shaft 53 and axle 34 will be disengaged. Thus this impeller shaft will not be rotated.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show modifications by which the casing or shroud 41 can be charged with an inert gas, Le a gas lacking oxygen in substantial amount, so as to reduce the oxidizing effect upon the paint during application and thereby retard its drying out to any undesirable extent before being applied to the roadway surface. In FIG. 11, the exhaust tail pipe of the towing vehicle 25 is shown as communicating by a flexible tubing 101 with the interior 68 of the casing 41 so as to discharge the exhaust gases, high in carbon dioxide, into this casing chamber. In FIG. 12, a bottle 102 containing nitrogen or other suitable gas under pressure is shown as arranged on the towing vehicle and connected by a line 103, having a shut-cit valve 104 therein, to the casing chamber 68. In either 0356,1116 substantially non-drying gaseous atmosphere will be circulated within the casing 41 by the blowers 48.

The term paint as used herein and in the appended claims contemplates all manner of stains, dyes or other colored liquids, in addition to pigmented liquids.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a method and apparatus by which paint particles are directionally impinged against the roadway surface at a flat angle thereto while the particles are enshrouded with a substantially non-drying gaseous atmosphere. This controlled non-drying atmosphere minimizes pickup of paint particles. Moreover it will be seen that during operative use of the paint applier the gas is circulated in a closed circuit which is substantially protected against wind currents. Therefore the paint applier may be used under windy conditions. It will also be observed that only the corresponding sides of rises in the irregular surface of the roadway are painted and there is an efficient use of paint so as to provide a high coverage which is desirable in order to make the practice of the present invention practicable.

Modifications in construction of the roadway directional paint applier of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended that the present invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated herein but rather is to be measured as to scope by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of rendering an existing highway pavement illuminatable differently by the head lamps of vehicles when traveling over the pavement in opposite directions, which method comprises the steps of spraying light reflective paint against the pavement surface unidirectionally in one direction of travel at an angle falling in the range from about 5 to about 35 degrees relative to such surface to form one .pattern, and spraying light reflective paint against the pavement surface unidirectionally I in the opposite direction of travel at an angle falling in said range to form a difierent pattern.

2. A method of forming generally parallel, laterally olfset course markers on an existing paved highway so that said markers are illuminated differently by the head lamps of vehicles when traveling along said markers in F opposite directions, which method comprises the steps of spraying light reflective paint against the pavement surface unidirectionally in one direction of travel at an angle falling in the range of from about 5 to about 35 degrees relative to such surface thereby to paint one of said markers, and spraying light reflective paint against the pavement surface unidirectionally in the opposite direction of travel at an angle falling in said range thereby to paint another of said markers.

3. The method of forming generally parallel, unaligned strips on an existing highway pavement so that said strips are illuminated differently by the head lamps of vehicles when traveling along said strips in opposite directions, which method comprises the steps of moving over and along the pavement in one direction of travel a light reflective paint particle laden gas blast directed downwardly and forwardly toward the pavement surface at an angle falling in the range from about 5 to about 35 degrees relative to such surface thereby to paint one of said strips, and moving over and along the pavement in the opposite direction of travel a light reflective paint particle laden gas blast directed downwardly and forwardly toward the pavement surface at an angle falling in said range thereby topaint another of said strips.

4. The method of treating an existing highway pavement, which comprises impinging light reflective paint particles against the pavement surface longitudinally along a first course and unidirectionally at an angle falling in the range of from about 5 to about 35 degrees relative to such surface, and impinging light reflective paint particles against the pavement surface longitudinally along a second course generally parallel to but laterally of said first course and unidirectionally but in the opposite direction at an angle falling in said range.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 856,519 Decks June 11, 1907 1,953,294 Gabriel Apr. 3, 1934 1,999,563 Glasgow Apr. 30, 1935 2,039,026 Pease Apr. 28, .1936 2,222,598 Arnold Nov. 26, 1940 2,225,523 Lundquist Dec. 17, 1940 2,330,808 Bingham Oct. 5, 1943 2,367,594 Madison Jan. 16, 1945 2,513,972 Stitt July 4, 1950 2,815,983 Hunter Dec. 10, 1957 2,824,502 Rockwell Feb. 25, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 111,049 Australia July 15, 1940 

1. THE METHOD OF RENDERING AN EXISTING HIGHWAY PAVEMENT ILLUMINATABLE DIFFERENTLY BY THE HEAD LAMPS OF VEHICLES WHEN TRAVELLING OVER THE PAVEMENT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES THE STEPS OF SPRAYING LIGHT REFLECTIVE PAINT AGAINST THE PAVEMENT SURFACE UNIDIRECTIONALLY IN ONE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AT AN ANGLE FALLING IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 35 DEGREES RELATIVE TO SUCH SURFACE TO FORM ONE PATTERN, AND SPRAYING LIGHT REFLECTIVE PAINT AGAINST THE PAVEMENT SURFACE UNIDIRECTIONALLY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AT AN ANGLE FALLING IN SAID RANGE TO FORM A DIFFERENT PATTERN. 